General Education Eligibility

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Transportation eligibility is determined on the basis of the student's grade level and the distance between the student's residence and school. The table below shows how OPT determines student eligibility. For example:
  • A first-grader who lives 3/4 of a mile from school is eligible for full fare transportation.
  • An eighth-grader who lives one mile from school is not eligible for full fare transportation.

GRADE

LEVEL

DISTANCE FROM RESIDENCE TO SCHOOL

Less than ½ mile

½ mile or more, but less than 1 mile

1 mile or more but less than 1½ miles

1½ miles or more

K-2

Not Eligible*  

Eligible for Full Fare Transportation

3-6

Transportation  Not Provided

 

    
7-12

Not Eligible*


* Students in these categories are not eligible for full fare transportation. These students may receive a half fare student MetroCard good for use on buses only. These half fare MetroCards are provided as a courtesy by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA).

FULL FARE TRANSPORTATION—Yellow Bus Service
Yellow bus service is provided from designated stops at designated times to and from schools receiving this service. In order for a student to receive yellow bus service, all of the following criteria must be met:
  1. The student must be eligible for full fare transportation as shown in the chart above.
  2. The student's school must have yellow bus service.
  3. The student must be in grades K-6.
  4. The student's residence must be in the same district as the school (if attending a public school) or the same borough (if attending a charter or non-public school).
  5. The bus route must have at least eleven students.
  6. The bus must travel on a route that is no longer than five miles as measured by bus stops.

If all of the above criteria are met, students may request yellow bus service at their school. Eligible students will be assigned to a bus stop by the school. Students must use the same stop both in the morning and the afternoon.

Please Note: Admission to a gifted and talented program or school does not guarantee a student yellow bus transportation. Eligibility for yellow bus transportation for general education students attending gifted and talented schools and programs is based on the same criteria that apply to public school general education students as indicated above. Students attending one of the citywide gifted and talented schools are eligible for busing if they live in the same borough and the route, as measured by bus stops, is no longer than five miles.


FULL FARE TRANSPORTATION—MetroCard
Students eligible for full fare transportation may be issued a full fare student MetroCard by the office in their school that distributes MetroCards or they may request yellow bus service at the school. Students who request yellow bus service where it cannot be provided, for example because the school does not have bus service, or there are not enough students for a route, or because the student lives beyond five miles, may be issued a student MetroCard for their transportation.

HALF FARE TRANSPORTATION
Students not eligible for full fare transportation may be issued a half fare student MetroCard by the office in their school that distributes MetroCards.

More Information About Student MetroCards

Frequently Asked Questions About Eligibility